


Chains of Desire

by Starshe11



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Based on a Vocaloid Song, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-04-17 08:09:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14184630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starshe11/pseuds/Starshe11
Summary: A never-ending fatalism that lasts across many lifetimes. | Based on the song "Prisoner of Love and Desire" by Hitoshizuku x Yama-P





	Chains of Desire

**Author's Note:**

> [Brackets] indicate translated lyrics.

[A never-ending fatalism that lasts across many lifetimes.

No matter where it leads us, please dance with me.

A prisoner bound by the eternal chains of insane desire…] 

——-XV——-

Lunafreya was five years old when she lost the first love of her life.

 

Her father was the man she loved the most. From his silver hair to his regal countenance, the King of Tenebrae was everything she believed a man should be. This is what she told her older brother Ravus every day, much to his annoyance.

“When I grow up, I’ll marry you, Father,” she said one day, when the entire family went out to the sylleblossom field near Fenestala Manor.

“I accept your proposal, my moon,” he had chuckled in that warm and deep voice of his. Nothing was said after that, the king stroking her hair affectionately as she leaned into him.

 

The day after, he had died a most painful death. One which involved a group of daemons infiltrating the seemingly impenetrable manor, tearing the poor king limb from limb as he tried to protect Sylva and the children.

On the night of the wake, Lunafreya happened to be alone as she cried beside his coffin. Lost in a sea of tears, she failed to hear a set of footsteps coming towards her. It was only when he dangled a white rose in front of her face did she acknowledge the other’s presence, the sweet smell tickling her nose.

 

“Hello, sweet child,” the man had said, his voice rich like velvet. Lunafreya scrambled away from the strange man, his maroon hair and generally scruffy appearance setting off alarms in her head despite the placid smile on his face.

“Why do you run from me?” He chuckled softly, crouching down to her level and holding up the flower in her direction. “I merely wanted to give you a rose…to comfort you somehow after the loss of your father.”

“How do you know…my father?” The young girl had asked, still not fully trusting the man.

“I…worked with him for a time,” he replied smoothly. His expression turned into one of deep concentration before lighting up, as if he had just discovered the secrets of the universe. “How rude of me, being so presumptuous to say that I would comfort you when you don’t even know my name…”

 

“Izunia. Ardyn Izunia,” he said as he bowed in front of the small girl. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, little one.”

 

After introducing himself, Lunafreya and Ardyn talked well into the night. She shared stories about her father, while he hugged and consoled her when the memory proved to be too much for her. Soon after, when she had fallen asleep, he assisted one of the maids in taking her to her chambers before seeing himself out of Fenestala Manor.

As he walked away, bathed in the dim moonlight, a devilish smirk played on his lips as he jauntily sung in a long-forgotten language.

 

“Mawaru unmei ron no sono saki de boku to issho ni odorou yo, kurutta ai ni torawareta aiyoku no purizunaa~”

——-XV——-

[Going around and around, wherever fatalism leads us.

Sucking everything dry, dancing madly while chained in the prison of insane desire.

Round and round we go again…]

——-XV——- 

Lunafreya was fourteen years old when she started to believe that she was doomed to lose everyone she had ever loved.

 

Ravus wasn’t the perfect big brother, not by a long shot. But then again, no one ever really was.

For all his faults, Lunafreya knew that Ravus truly cared for her. To her, he was the dorky and awkward brother who would simultaneously insult and apologize to her in the same sentence.

The brother who would protest loudly about playing dress up with her or about her putting a sylleblossom crown on his head, but eventually gave in and found himself having a good time after all.

The cheeky and cocky brother who dreamed of leading Tenebrae against Niflheim once he became king, working side by side with the Lucians.

 

But then he wasn’t.

 

Ravus became someone completely different. He let rage and bitterness fully consume him, turning him into a cold-hearted man who had only joined the army for the sake of revenge on the Caelum line.

“Brother, please,” Lunafreya had pleaded with him then. “Stop this madness! It wasn’t King Regis’ fault that Niflheim invaded us, nor was it his fault that mother…”

“Silence, Lunafreya!” Ravus roared. “If he and that little brat of his hadn’t left us, then we’d be safe! I wouldn’t have had to join the army of the nation who took our mother away from us, and you wouldn’t have been…”

“That’s enough, Ravus,” the young Oracle cut him off, not wishing to recall her ‘meetings’ with Brigadier General Ulldor over the years.

That was the last conversation Lunafreya would ever have with her brother for many years, one loaded with so much regret and anguish…

 

…And she hated every bit of it.

 

The night Ravus had left, Lunafreya went out to the sylleblossom field they played at as children and began to cry. Many tears were shed under the full moon: for her father, her mother, the loneliness and hurt she felt, and most importantly…for the brother she had lost to the darkness.

Lost in her thoughts, she once more failed to notice the sound of footsteps approaching her. It was only when he dangled a familiar white rose in front of her did Lunafreya acknowledge the man’s presence, the familiar scent tickling her nostrils.

“My, my,” a smooth and familiar voice greeted. “Why the tears, young one?”

 

“Chancellor Izunia,” she turned and greeted him stiffly. “Apologies, but I must take my leave now.”

Pushing his hand aside, she brushed some stray grass off her skirt and rose to leave. Before she could, however, a calloused hand grabbed her by the wrist, setting off alarm bells in her mind once more.

“Now don’t be like that, princess,” the maroon-haired man muttered, turning her around to face him. “I came just for you, to make sure you were doing alright in the wake of your brother’s…departure.”

“You know damn well how I’m feeling,” Lunafreya growled, pulling back. “Its thanks to your MTs and that heinous General Glauca that my mother and brother are both lost to me now! That I am cursed to lose all those I love!”

 

With that admission, she burst into a fresh set of tears. Ardyn simply stood there, listening patiently as she unleashed a slew of profanities directed at him and the Empire he served.

When she had finished, all Ardyn said in reply was, “While I may not be able to turn back time, I will do this for you. I will keep an eye out for your dear brother and make sure he never comes to harm.”

Stunned by his response, all Lunafreya could do was nod her head in acknowledgement before scurrying back to the safety of Fenestala Manor.

Watching her receding figure in the distance, Ardyn once more hummed the tune he had during their first meeting, thinking all the while:

 

‘A curse, eh? An intriguing notion, in its own way…’

——-XV——-

[At the break of dawn, another love is lost.

I hear your anguished cries.

So many coffins now, all blurring together in my mind.

How many times now have you broken down?

Is to lose all you love your inevitable fate?]

——-XV——- 

When Lunafreya was twenty-four, she knew for certain that she was cursed.

 

The reason? Because she lost two men she had loved on the same day.

Regis Lucis Caelum and Nyx Ulric…Though her time with both men was short, they both had made quite the impression on Lunafreya.

 

King Regis, with his benevolent smile and those forest-green eyes of his that seemed to contain the secrets of the world. He was everything the Oracle admired and aspired to be once she grew into her position.

Kingsglaive Nyx, with his charming smile and immense inner strength befitting that of a true hero. Though she had only known the man for a couple of hours, there was no one she would ever trust her life with more again…except for Gentiana.

 

Regis was the one who had inspired her to do all she could to cultivate a a heart and mind stronger than steel.

Nyx was her beacon of hope, one of the people that gave her the strength and resolve to push on and fulfill her true calling.

 

…Which is why she felt like the whole world was crumbling before her very eyes the day Insomnia fell.

It had all felt like a dream: the treaty, the party, and everything that followed soon after…

 

King Regis, the Ring of the Lucii cut off his finger by that horrid General Glauca.

Who entrusted said ring to her keeping after they had retrieved it from her brother.

Who sacrificed himself to save those ordained by the Astrals to save the world from the Scourge. 

 

Kingsglaive Nyx, who had made her feel more alive than she had in years when they met at the party. 

Who came to her rescue and fought all that stood in his way. 

Accepted by the past rulers of Lucis to protect the future.

 

Regis Lucis Caelum, father figure and inspiration.

Nyx Ulric, the night which protected the moon.

 

‘Damn those Nifs, wanting nothing more than to watch the whole world burn…’

‘Damn the Astrals, sitting pretty as we continue to pay for their mistakes…’

‘Damn…damn it…’

 

“Damn it all to hell!” Lunafreya had wailed the night after the fall of Insomnia. She was staying at the Longwythe rest area with Gentiana, gathering strength to make the pilgrimage to Titan within the next few days. Fortunately, the locals were nice enough to let them stay for free.

Despite this, Lunafreya still found herself troubled. Plagued by nightmares, she made her way to the small shack near the outpost and took a seat on the nearby crates. Once she determined that she was alone, the Oracle shed tears for all she had lost, and all she would eventually lose. 

 

Her father…

Her mother…

Ravus…

Her innocence and childhood…

King Regis…

Nyx…

Noctis…

 

She was preoccupied with these thoughts when a familiar velvety voice whispered directly in her ear.

“Come now, surely you must be already used to this sort of thing for you not to cry anymore?”

With a gasp, Lunafreya immediately stood and summoned her trident, pointing it threateningly at the chancellor.

 

“Leave,” she hissed. “Now. Before I skewer you.”

“Ah, Lady Lunafreya, you wound me.” Ardyn replied smoothly, a white rose in hand. Extending it to her, he said, “You never refused my comfort before~”

“I need nothing of yours, you bastard. Least of all your comfort.” The blonde sent a pointed glare at him. “You and Emperor Iedolas…How far would the two of you go to make the world fall at your feet?”

Chuckling, Ardyn moved closer to Lunafreya, prompting her to raise her trident in defense. Just as he passed her, the blonde spun around to face him…

 

…Only to see the maroon-haired man had disappeared, leaving the rose in his wake. Confused, she picked up the rose and headed back to the motel, searching for a place where she could dispose of the flower.

Unbeknownst to Lunafreya, Ardyn was watching her from the shadows of the Crow’s Nest across the street. As he saw her disappear into the motel, the chancellor muttered:

 

“Ah, but we’ve only just begun, dear Oracle. After all…”

“It will be worth all this effort to see you break.”

——-XV——-

[Today, the fatalism circles around once more.

And now, my hands are tainted with your blood.

If only to momentarily release myself from this prison of eternal madness.]

——-XV——- 

When Lunafreya was in Altissia, she soon fell victim to her own curse.

 

Forging the covenants to assist Noctis took a great toll on her health, something she was told would happen to her when she began her training as Oracle. Adding the strain of that on to the use of her power to hold back the Scourge in Eos…Lunafreya knew she didn’t have much longer to live.

Still, she went about her duty with pride. She continued to heal the afflicted and convene with the Astrals, all while evading the watchful eyes of the Empire, especially the Chancellor’s.

Until her luck ran out whilst communing with Leviathan.

 

Lunafreya expected the Hydraean would rage, given the Astral’s temperament.

She expected that Niflheim would interfere in the ritual, having spoken to Ravus about just that earlier at Secretary Claustra’s manor.

She expected Noctis and his entourage to be alright after Leviathan’s trial, ready to move on to the next task whether she would be by their side or not.

 

What she didn’t expect was Ardyn’s presence in the aftermath of the ritual.

Nor did she expect him to explain the origins of her so-called ‘curse’.

It all happened in a flash, really. One minute, she was struggling to get up and trying to get her and Noctis to a safer place. The next…

 

Ravus showing up and trying to get her and Noctis out of the area.

Another Ravus showing up, yelling for Ardyn to stay away from his sister.

Lunafreya noticing the white rose pinned to the coat of the Ravus beside her.

 

Her scrambling to get away, only for Ardyn to pin her hands behind her.

Her trying to wriggle out of the chancellor’s grip, only to find cool metal pressed to her temple.

Ardyn’s taunts filling the air, daring Ravus to try something while her life was in his hands.

Ravus pretending to walk away, only for him to charge at the chancellor.

 

Ardyn summoning one of the Lucian Royal Arms, and firing it off.

Ravus being knocked out cold.

 

Ardyn speaking into her ear about all that he was, and all he had done.

Setting the daemons on her father.

Requesting Glauca to kill Queen Sylva.

Poisoning Ravus’ mind every day that he was in the Niflheim army, fueling his hatred of Lucis.

Influencing Emperor Iedolas and Chief Besithia to do all they did to obtain the Crystal.

 

Hinting that he may have just broken Ignis Scientia’s spirit.

Doing all of it just to break her and Noctis.

 

Out of his desire to make the Lucis Caelum and Nox Fleuret bloodlines suffer for all he had gone through because of them.

Out of his desire to get back at the Astrals for betraying him.

Because of those chains of insane desire that had twisted around his heart and mind.

 

“And now it seems the curse has come full circle, princess,” Ardyn whispered in her ear when he had finished.

He pushed her forward until they reached the edge of the broken Altissian sidewalk, the raging waters below.

“I shall see you in the world beyond.”

 

A shove.

An icy cold permeating every inch of her being.

Then nothing.

——-XV——-

[Now hurry… let it end… by your hands…

Yours…and his…

Come on now…]

——-XV——- 

It was in the Astral Plane that Lunafreya was finally freed of her curse.

 

Noctis had succeeded in taking down the Accursed’s physical body, and in providing the final sacrifice needed to seal him away for good.

As he was about to unleash an attack on the Chosen King, Lunafreya stepped in and weakened him.

As the trail of her magic worked its way into Ardyn, it began to break down every inch of his daemonized form.

 

In that instant, images flashed through Ardyn’s mind: each one an instance where he tried to “comfort” Lunafreya. They continued to pass by in a blur, each memory filling him with a mixture of both his and the Oracle’s emotions. Sadness, regret, madness, and twisted desire all blended together before an indescribable warmth suddenly overtook him.

Viewing the memory, Ardyn knew he was seeing when he and Lunafreya had first met: after her father’s passing.

As he watched himself talk to and console the young girl, he could feel the warmth in his heart growing stronger…and then it hit him.

 

Lunafreya, at some point, cared for him.

 

As soon as the realization came, a voice seemed to have made its way into his mind. It seemed to laugh at him, whispering one thing before the world disappeared.

 

“Looks like the curse still holds true…Because soon, everyone I’ve ever cared about in life will end up dead~"


End file.
